For Cucchiara, it was worth the wait, and even an eventual downpour Saturday couldn't dampen his spirits.

"Even though it's raining right now, the foliage is fantastic. It's just really beautifully," Cucchiara said.

Cucchiara and a friend, Jeff LeBlanc, hiked along the White Mountains and took in a colorful landscape.

"I actually like it when you see some of those trees," Cucchiara said. "It seems the fringe of the tree turns bright red."

"Even though I travel around the country a lot, I still haven't found a place, to me, that is this pretty. The combination of the trees, the foliage, the rivers, the rocks all in one package, it's hard to beat," LeBlanc said.

The colorful rustic rainbow of deep red, orange, yellow dotted the mountain side. It was sight that captured the hearts of a couple from Germany.

"It's great. In Germany, it's OK, but not that impressive," the couple said.

With people coming from all over the world to see the leaves, area businesses are raking in the cash.

"It's been phenomenal. Buses are around. People are happy," restaurant manager John Fadden said.

Fadden is manager of Peg's restaurant in Woodstock. He said it's been a nonstop rush.

"Definitely busy, busy," Fadden said.

Local bed and breakfasts were also busy.

"People are mostly here because of the foliage," said John Becker, owner of The Lake House at Ferry Point in Sanbornton.

Becker said he has customers from across the globe.

Flags hang outside the inn, representing where the customers are from, including the United States, Norway, Germany and England.

"Everything is within driving distance of here, so they can get to where the colors are peaking within a short drive," he said.

The party will continue throughout the rest of the holiday weekend. Many parks and towns are having fall festivals.

For those who missed the chance Saturday because of the rain, they still have a chance Sunday or Monday.